xm.] CRITICISMS ON &quot; THE ORIGIN OF SPECIES.&quot; 273 



cussing objections, what is to be thought of M. Flourens 

 assertion, that 



&quot; M. Darwin ne cite que les auteurs qui partagent ses opinions.&quot; (P. 40.) 

 Once more (p. 65) : 



&quot;Enfin 1 ouvrage de M. Darwin a paru. On ne pent qu etre frappe 

 du talent de 1 auteur. Mais que d ide&quot;es obscures, que d idees fausses ! Quel 

 jargon metaphysique jet6 mal a propos dans 1 histoire naturelle, qui tombe 

 dans le galimatias des qu elle sort des idees claires, des idees justes ! Quel 

 langage pretentieux et vide ! Quelles personifications pueriles et surannees ! 

 lucidite ! solidite de 1 esprit Francois, que devenez-vous ? &quot; 



&quot; Obscure ideas,&quot; &quot; metaphysical jargon,&quot; &quot; pretentious and 

 empty language,&quot; &quot; puerile and superannuated personifications.&quot; 

 Mr. Darwin has many and hot opponents on this side of the 

 Channel and in Germany, but we do not recollect to have found 

 precisely these sins in the long catalogue of those hitherto laid 

 to his charge. It is worth while, therefore, to examine into these 

 discoveries effected solely by the aid of the &quot; lucidity and solidity &quot; 

 of the mind of M. Flourens. 



According to M. Flourens, Mr. Darwin s great error is that he 

 has personified Nature (p. 10), and further that he has 



&quot; imagined a natural selection : he imagines afterwards that this power of 

 selecting (pouvoir delire) which he gives to Nature is similar to the power 

 of man. These two suppositions admitted, nothing stops him : he plays 

 with Nature as he likes, and makes her do all he pleases.&quot; (P. 6). 



And this is the way M. Flourens extinguishes natural 

 selection : 



&quot; Voyons done encore une fois, ce qu il peut y avoir de fonde dans ce 

 qu on nomine election naturelle. 



&quot; L } election naturelle n est sous uu autre nom que la nature. Pour un 

 etre organise&quot;, la nature n est que 1 organisation, ni plus ni moms. 



&quot; II faudra done aussi personnifier V organisation, et dire que I organisa- 

 tion choisit V organisation. Selection naturelle est cette forme sultstantielle 

 dont on jouait autre fois avec tant de facilite. Aristote disait que Si 1 art 

 de batir etait dans le bois, cet art agirait comme la nature. A la place de 

 Tart de bdtir M. Darwin met Selection naturelle, et c est tout un : Tun n est 

 pas plus chime rique que 1 autre.&quot; (P. 31.) 



And this is really all that M. Flourens can make of Natural 

 Selection. We have given the original, in fear lest a translation 



T 



